


Be With Me

by DarthBaker23



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Empress Rey, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Force Dyad (Star Wars), Kylo begging, Loss of Virginity, Pining, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rey will be his queen, Smut, Submissive Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, Virgin Ben Solo, Virgin Kylo Ren, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), rey takes the lead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:00:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23138107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarthBaker23/pseuds/DarthBaker23
Summary: This story picks up during Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when Kylo Ren realizes Rey is on his ship in his quarters searching for the Sith wayfinder. He goes to her and offers her a temporary truce. Rey agrees to help Kylo defeat Palpatine, so long as the First Order halts all searches and attacks on the Resistance.
Relationships: Kylo Ren & Rey, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 35
Kudos: 273





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story picks up during Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when Kylo Ren realizes Rey is on his ship in his quarters searching for the Sith wayfinder. He goes to her and offers her a temporary truce. Rey agrees to help Kylo defeat Palpatine, so long as the First Order halts all searches and attacks on the Resistance.

Chapter 1

“I’ll come tell you.” Kylo spits as he severs the bond, causing Rey to stumble forward.

“Shit. He knows I’m here...on his ship!” With the dagger in one hand and her lightsaber in the other, Rey takes off at full speed to join the others back on the ship. As she sprints down the hallway, she takes down three more stormtroopers with her saber. She comes to a halt when she finally reaches the hangar. The rusty old sith ship was still there but empty. _Her friends didn’t make it._ Even more worryingly, Rey could see Kylo’s Silencer approaching the hanger. A knot forms in the pit of her stomach as he gets closer. Gliding in, he lands gently, giving Rey a wide berth.

The Silencer hisses as the hatch glides open revealing Kylo’s helmet, red cracks and silver trim. As Kylo climbs out of his ship, Rey backs up, positioning herself toward the hangar bay door for a hopeful quick escape. His feet firmly land on the ground, and he immediately walks toward her. Rey hasn’t seen him in person since the finalizer. He holds up his hand in a motion, telling his stormtroopers to stand down. Kylo doesn’t want to miss this opportunity now that he’s finally facing her.

"Rey..." She listens in disbelief as Kylo begins to speak, continuing their conversation about Rey’s parents. Then, Kylo pulls off his helmet to deliver the final bit of knowledge. She steps back with confusion written all over her face. _Palpatine was her grandfather? Her and Kylo were a Dyad? Could any of this be true?_

Kylo can sense her hesitation. “Rey, I have never lied to you. Search your feelings, you know it’s true.”

He was right. He had never lied to her. She would sense it if he was. But what did all this mean? How would it change things? Kylo extends his arm, holding out his hand to her. Rey stares at his hand as a familiar memory from the finalizer comes to mind.

“Join me. Together we can defeat Palpatine.” His eyes are open and raw, pleading with her. Rey’s mind whirls in a thousand directions. It would be ludicrous to join him against Palpatine. Suicide even. But if they were truly a dyad, then they would be more powerful together. She faced the truth. Kylo was her best bet at destroying Palpatine and his fleet. She looked at him with determination in her eyes.

“I will help you to defeat Palpatine _if_ you halt all First Order operations and attacks against the Rebel Alliance.” She tells him firmly waiting for his rebuttal.

“Deal.” Kylo replies without hesitation in a shaky voice, seemingly surprised by Rey’s offer. In return, Rey was surprised that he agreed so quickly. There was no arguing or compromising with her offer. Typically, the Resistance’s location was always Kylo’s number one priority. But for once, Kylo and Rey seemed to be on the same page.

“I mean it Kylo. No plotting, planning or surprise attacks until after we defeat Palpatine.” Rey says in a more forceful tone.

Kylo takes a cautious step toward her. “You have my word.” Rey swallows at the depth of his words. They stare at each other with nothing to hide. At that very moment, the Millennium Falcon appears in front of the hangar bay doors. The forceful blast of its jets propel all of the stormtroopers back. Only Kylo and Rey can remain standing in their same spot by using the force. The Falcon’s door opens, revealing Finn reaching out for Rey.

_She could escape right now;_ she thinks to herself. She could leave and never see Kylo again. But where would that leave her? She’s still no closer to finding Palpatine’s location, and even then, how will she defeat him on her own?

Looking at Kylo, she holds her hand out to him, palm up, gesturing him to give her a minute to speak to Finn. He nods slightly in understanding. Turning to face the Falcon, Rey takes several steps closer to the edge of the platform. She makes it close enough to make eye contact with Finn, but there’s no way he would be able to hear her over the Falcon. She knows Finn is force sensitive. She had sensed it for some time now, but she was waiting for him to tell her himself. She closes her eyes and speaks to him using the Force. _“Finn, I know you can hear me. You need to listen carefully.”_ She opens her eyes to see Finn watching her. He nods in understanding, so she continues. She watches him as she continues to speak to him through the force. _“I’m going to help Kylo destroy Palpatine. He has agreed to suspend any attacks and operations against the Rebel Alliance. Kylo’s fleet will be too busy fighting Palpatine’s fleet anyway. This is the perfect opportunity for the Resistance to relocate and restock supplies without their prying eyes.”_

A variety of emotions cross Finn’s face: confusion, denial, fear, resignation. _“Finn, I know this isn’t easy, but you have to trust me. Kylo is our best bet at defeating Palpatine, and it keeps the Rebels safe.”_ Finn sighs with acceptance. _“Be strong for them. They need you now, more than ever. Tell everyone I love them.”_ Rey gives him a wavering smile as tears slide down her cheeks. “ _See you soon.”_

Finn nods and gives a little wave. Disappearing up the Falcon’s ramp, the ship zips off and jumps to lightspeed soon after. Rey turns to face Kylo. He hasn’t moved from his original spot. Now, fully alone, reality starts to set in. She stares at him with hesitation. If this is going to work, they’re going to have to trust each other. Rey shoves the dagger in her belt and halters her lightsaber in its harness. Putting on a brave face, she walks until she’s right in front of him. His chest heaves as he silently assesses her. He hasn’t taken his eyes off her since he landed his hanger.

“Let’s do this. There’s no time to waste.” Rey tells him.


	2. Two

Chapter Two

“Follow me,” he tells her with a quick nod. He spins around and marches into the ship's control room. Rey follows closely behind him watching as several stormtroopers fall in step behind them.

In the control room, Kylo gathers all of the First Order Commanders. Standing front and center, he explains his plan to kill Palpatine with Rey’s help, while instructing the top commanders to send the First Order fleet to Exegol. Rey stands to the side, behind Kylo as he speaks. As soon as he mentions Rey’s name, she can feel a shift in the room. Rey can feel all eyes on her. She ignores them and focuses on Kylo. She watches the way his hair flows from behind as he instructs his army. His voice is calm and firm. If she didn’t know any better, she might say she found his voice alluring. But she knew underneath that calm exterior was a dangerous and powerful man.

“When our fleet arrives in Exegol, Palpatine’s fleet will be waiting for us. Have all cannons ready to fire upon exiting hyperdrive. For the duration of this mission, Rey will be second in command.” There are numerous gasps and murmurs throughout the room. Rey isn’t sure she heard him correctly. _Did he say what she just thought he said?_

“But sir, earlier today the scavenger was wanted by the First Order on your orders. Are you telling us we are to now follow orders from her?” One of the commanders bravely interrupts him. Kylo’s arm jerks out in the commander’s direction. The commander suddenly catapults into the air, freezing in place. Fear renders him speechless.

“Do _not_ call her scavenger.” Kylo spits with minimal restraint. After a moment of dangling, he deftly lowers the commander back to the floor. The commander gasps for air as his feet touch the ground. Kylo’s gaze returns to everyone else. “Yes, I expect you to follow her orders if I am otherwise disposed. Rey is our ally. Her help will double our odds at defeating Palpatine. It will serve you best not to question my judgment on this. Everyone in your places! Prepare to deploy in half an hour.”

Rey stares at Kylo in shock at his display of dominance. He spins on his heels to leave the control room. His eyes flit to Rey to make sure she’s still with him before facing forward. She follows him down a corridor filled with seamless doors. Slowing to a halt, he turns around to face her.

“You can use this room to freshen up. I’ll be back for you in twenty minutes, then we depart for Exegol.” Rey watches the way his throat bobs up and down nervously as he speaks. _Is he nervous?_ His arm reaches to press a panel and the door slides open. Rey nods silently and enters the room, the door closing behind her. It’s a simple room with a basic bed on the wall to the left. She plops down and lets her mind wander.

The way he had defended her name had thrown her by surprise. He had called her a scavenger countless times, but the moment someone else used the derogatory term, he tore them apart. Even more surprising, was that he made her second in command. Did he really trust her? Did he trust her enough to lead his army? ‘ _At least until they killed Palpatine,’_ she thought. Then things would go back to the way they were. _Wouldn’t they?_ Would he even let her leave when this is all over? Rey rolled that thought around in her head. Kylo seemed too content about this arrangement. It made her mind wonder. It made her feel...things. With a deep sigh, she pushed it to the back of her mind. First, she had a job to do.


	3. Three

Chapter 3

> Exactly twenty minutes later Kylo was at her door. Rey beat him to it and opened the door before he could knock. He looked at her with surprise. Rey had just enough time to meditate and quickly freshen up. Those few, precious moments of peace and quiet had invigorated her mind and body. _Why was he staring at her like that?_ Rey looked down at her body to make sure everything was in place. Her face and chest were still damp from the hurried wipe down she gave herself in the bathroom.

“Ready?” she asks him. That seems to snap him out of his stare.

“Come with me. We’re leaving.” He says coolly and leads the way. Rey quickly catches up to him, and boldly takes her place beside him. She is his equal in this mission; not his prisoner. She can feel Kylo giving her a side glance with a smirk before returning his gaze straight ahead. They walk briskly down the hall back to the same hanger bay.

When they enter the hangar bay, there is chaos. Troops are loading onto transporters, pilots are preparing for takeoff, and commanders are shouting orders to captains. Troopers stop to salute Kylo as they walk past them to a secluded corner of the hanger. Rey recognizes Kylo’s custom Tie Silencer in its docking bay. Two troopers approached them as they near the ship. Rey watches as the troopers assist Kylo, releasing the ladder for Kylo to climb.

“Wait. How am I getting to Exegol?” she asks him with worry on her face. A brief moment of dread passes through her. Does he expect her to travel in the transport with the stormtroopers? How can she join Kylo in the fight if she’s not with him? Was this all just a trap? There are a thousand ways this could go wrong for her very quickly. She realizes how dependent she is on Kylo at this very moment. All of these thoughts quickly pass through her mind as she begins to panic. Kylo senses her emotions and stops her.

“You’re coming with me.” Kylo rushes out to ease her panic.

“With you?” Rey asks, baffled. Her panic then morphs into something different; bewilderment. “But, wh-” her voice fades away as she realizes why. Kylo doesn’t trust her. He can’t trust her enough to fly beside him in her own ship. With a quick sigh, she nods. She can’t fault him too much for that. She barely trusts him herself. She makes her way to his ship and begins to climb the latter. “Will I even fit in this thing?” she mumbles, mostly to herself as she ascends to the cockpit. As she glances up Kylo is sitting in the pilot seat watching her intently, and he’s close...very close. The cockpit is small, normally meant for one person, but there is room for one stowaway in a pinch. It’s a small space, but she’ll fit.

“You’ll fit.” he tells her. His eyes travel down the frame of her body as she climbs over the ledge and into the small space of the cockpit. His gaze lingers on her body and it makes her shiver. _He’s just sizing her up...to make sure she’ll fit in the seat. ‘That’s all,’_ she tells herself. But his gaze lingers in her mind long after they’ve taken off.

The seat _is_ small. Rey is tucked tightly directly behind Kylo. She can’t see him or the controls, but she can see his outline. She remains silent as he navigates his way to Exegol. The tension in the cockpit is thick, and Rey doesn’t dare speak first.

“I _do_ trust you.” Kylo speaks unexpectedly. “I just don’t trust my troops not to harm you. I don’t trust them not to shoot you out of the sky if you’re alone. You’re safer with me. It’s too great a risk otherwise.”

Rey is puzzled by his sudden explanation. The fact that he felt he owed her an explanation. The fact that he cares for her safety. This is new to her. She realizes her emotions are blaring, and Kylo can sense everything. She needs to work on blocking her thoughts.

“When all of this is over,” Kylo pauses as he navigates around a large meteor, “my offer still stands. I want you to join me.” Rey snorts at his words.

“You still think I should join you? After all that’s happened?” she asks him honestly. A whole minute passes before he answers her. She can’t see his face, but she can sense his vulnerability.

“I do. We’re a Dyad in the Force. We were meant to lead together,” he coughs nervously, “in some way.”

“I see. So I should join you so that you can have even more power through our Dyad? Is that it? Even if I don’t believe in your political views.” She asks him curtly.

“No, no! That’s not what I mean.” Kylo adds, panic rising in his voice. “What I mean is, if we ruled together, we could change things. _You_ could change things. I see everything that’s right with the First Order. You see everything that’s wrong with it. You could bring balance. Be the voice that keeps things from getting out of hand. A moral compass if you will.”

That’s a different way of explaining it. Rey thinks about his proposal. “A moral compass, a voice you say. But would I have any real say? Any real power to make decisions? Or would I just be an advisor?”

“We would be equals.” He adds with hope. “Emperor and Empress. Both equals in decision making. You would get a say in everything if you wanted.”

“Empress? But wouldn’t that mean that we’re ma-”

“-not necessarily.” Kylo cuts her off, knowing what she’s asking. “Not unless you wanted to.”

Rey’s mind whirls at that thought. He’s actually thought about marrying her? “But what if we don’t agree on something? If we’re equals, what if we can’t come to an agreement on something together?” she asks fairly.

“Well, there are always other ways to persuade you.” Kylo mumbles darkly as he weaves through an asteroid field, dodging left and right.

Rey wonders what he means by his words, when she senses Kylo’s emotions projecting loudly. Is that... _desire?_ _Lust?_ Rey reels back at this revelation. Her cheeks flush at the thought of Kylo in that manner. For some time she suspected he might feel something more for her, but he has never been so forward until now.

“So you want me to join you for more than just the power then?” She asks him already knowing the answer. He pauses a moment before answering. The jig was up. There was no point in trying to hide it now.

“I do.” he mutters defenseless.

“And if I don’t?” she asks him skeptically. “If I don’t want to stay?”

He takes a deep sigh in defeat. “Then you don’t. I won’t force you to stay.”

“You’ll let me leave?” she asks in disbelief.

“I will.” Kylo replies resolutely.

Rey chuckles to herself. _Yeah right._ There was no sense in arguing over it now.

“We’ll see.” she tells him before blocking her emotions, so that he can’t sense her feelings. Her mind is just beginning to process this new information. Kylo’s feelings for her run deeper than the Force. He wanted her. _But to what extent?_ How deep did his feelings for her run? Lust or something deeper? If they were to rule together, a relationship built on lust was doomed. It wouldn’t last. But if their connection was something more...something deeper, then that would be a different story. For Rey it had to be _all_ or _nothing_. They could be strictly coworkers and rule together; or they could marry for love, a whole fairytale love story. That latter seemed so unrealistic at this point. Rey has never loved anyone like that. What did she know of love? What did he know of love for that matter? This was all too new for her to even fathom. Rey wouldn’t lie to herself; she knew she had feelings for Kylo. But she didn’t know if those feelings could overcome their hurdles ahead. She could see herself falling for him fully...in time. She needed time to think about this. It wasn’t a decision to be taken lightly.

First, they needed to focus on their current mission: killing Palpatine.


	4. Four

Chapter 4

They remain silent for the remainder of their trip to Exegol. Paving the way for the First Order Fleet to follow, they arrive on Exagol. Rey’s eyes are immediately drawn to Palpatine’s fleet. There are at least one hundred destroyers starting their ascent from the surface of Exagol. Leaning forward to survey their surroundings, her hand grabs Kylo’s seat making him jolt in surprise.

“Oh, sorry.” Rey says once she realizes how close she is to him. His hair brushes against her cheek, sending shivers down her spine. She takes a deep breath and leans back in her seat. Her breath on his ear makes him blush at her nearness.

The silencer lands outside of a large dark cube structure. When the hatch opens, Kylo climbs onto the ladder and begins climbing down. Rey quickly follows suit. The ladder doesn’t reach the ground, so she has to jump down. When she looks down to jump down, Kylo is holding his hand out to her, as if to assist her. She pauses only a moment before deciding to take his hand. His grasp is firm in hers as she jumps several feet down to the ground. When her feet land, Kylo‘s other hand grabs her waist to steady her. Her eyes jolt up to meet his in surprise. Kylo knows she doesn’t need his help jumping off of a simple ladder. She knows he knows this.

Rey thinks maybe this is his way of trying to be nice. His eyes stare intensely at her, waiting for a reaction. She doesn’t give him one. His throat bobs up-and-down as he stares at her with anticipation.

Clearing her throat, she releases his hand. “Thank you,” she tells him and takes a step back. She quickly checks her gear to make sure her lightsaber is still in place. The dagger is still tucked in her belt as well. When she looks back up, Kylo is doing the same. Finally, his eyes meet hers and she nods.

“Let’s go.” he tells her. Rey falls in step beside him as they march to the cube. It’s an odd structure. It looks more ornamental than practical. As they approach the structure, they walk underneath it, clearly headed to a platform. Kylo walks with purpose, as if he knows exactly where he’s going. When they reach the platform, Kylo steps on without hesitation. Rey joins him by his side.

“You’ve been here before?” She asks him already knowing the answer. The platform jolts as it begins to descend instead of going up. Kylo doesn’t seem surprised. As they descend, Kylo turns just his head to look at her.

“Yes.” He tells her simply.

“You’ve met Palpatine then.” she states not in the form of a question.

“I have. It’s how I know you’re his granddaughter.” he tells her. 

“Is that all?” she asks him. Now, Rey is curious what else transpired.

“He told me to kill you. That if I did, his entire fleet would be mine.” he tells her honestly. Her brow furrows in confusion.

“Why didn’t you?” she asks him, afraid of what his answer might be. Had he agreed to Palpatine’s offer, he would easily be the most powerful man in the galaxy. This was probably not the best time to be having this conversation, but she just had to know. Now that he’s talking to her more openly, she wants to soak up any knowledge she can get.

“Because I’m done serving others. All of my adult life and part of my childhood was spent under Snoke’s thumb. He was always in my head, twisting lies. I’m done with it. I won’t serve another master.”

Rey nods in understanding. It’s hard to feel sympathy for Kylo unless you understand how he became this way. Without his parents to protect him, an evil force entered his mind and brainwashed him. 

“And because I don’t want you dead.” He looks at her more intensely now. “I never wanted you dead.”

“I don’t want you dead either.” she mutters, not knowing what else to say.

Kylo turns to face her and takes a step closer to her, lifting his hand toward her face. Startled, Rey flinches back just an inch, unsure of his actions. He freezes, hand mid-air.

“I want you to stay with me, Rey. No. I _need_ you to stay with me. I don’t know if it’s because we’re a Dyad or...something else, but I feel drawn to you.” He lets his hand drop and sighs defeatedly. “But I understand why you don’t trust me. You have no reason to. I hope one day to earn your trust through my actions.”

She looks upon him with wonder and hope. This is a side of Kylo she hasn’t seen before. Suddenly, the platform lands with a loud bang, announcing their arrival. They both snap back front, remembering where they are. With careful steps they step off the platform and walk to their fate.

They walk down a long corridor until they reach a large opening. There’s some sort of arena with what looks like dark cloaked figures in the stands. Cautiously, they approach the center of the arena, taking in their surroundings. Kylo unclips and ignites his lightsaber. Following his lead, Rey does the same. They stand back to back, just like on the finalizer. In this moment, she completely trusts him. As her back brushes against his, she can feel his heavy breathing. She closes her eyes and steadies her own labored breaths. Within seconds their breathing syncs, as if they were the same person. ‘ _A Dyad in the Force,’_ she thinks to herself.

Abruptly, Rey senses a strong surge in the Force, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. In unison, they both turn to face the evil presence with their sabers raised. Out of the shadows, Palpatine appears as if out of thin air. He’s hovering off the ground, suspended by a mechanical arm. Rey is disgusted by his form. He looks like a corpse and smells like rotting flesh. His eyes glow beneath his heavy cloak and hood as he approaches.

When he stops nearly ten feet away, Rey braces herself for his attack. Instead, he speaks.

“Granddaughter. You’ve finally come to me. I’ve been searching for you for a long time.” His voice croaks in a sinister manner. Distinctly glancing at her lightsaber, he adds, “How unfortunate that you’ve bared arms against me. You will be the end of the Jedi.” 

“We’ll see.” she spits at him, not breaking her form.

“And you!” Palpatine snaps his gaze to Kylo with menace in his voice. “The last Skywalker. You’re no sith. You can’t even follow simpler orders. This fleet could be yours if only you’d killed the girl.”

“She’s no girl.” Kylo growls, tightening his grip on his saber.

Palpatine laughs, throwing his head back. “Ben Solo, turned to the lightside for a pair of pretty eyes. You Skywalkers are all the same.”

Rey has had enough of his banter. His words cutting Kylo down were untrue and infuriating. With a scream, Rey advances on Palpatine, swinging her saber down and across. The mechanical arm swiftly pulls Palpatine back, narrowly missing Rey’s blade. Quickly, Palpatine’s eight Sith Royal Guards approach, circling around them. Palpatine retreats behind the safety of his guards.

Kylo and Rey assess the eight guards surrounding them. They’re covered from head to toe in red armor with red cloaks. They don’t hesitate to start firing their blasters at the two force users. Rey quickly begins dodging bolts from the blasters, careful not to let them hit Kylo, who is just behind her. She can sense Kylo behind her doing the same. She halts another bolt with the force and ricochets it to hit another guard. Advancing quickly on the first guard, she slices through his torso, taking him by surprise. Before he falls to the ground, she uses his body as a shield to block the next line of blasts. She then force throws the guard at them, knocking down two guards. Without hesitation, she attacks them, piercing her blade through the first torso, then slicing across the second. They fall unceremoniously to the ground. She turns just in time to see Kylo force slamming the last guard into the stone wall. He clatters to the ground.

Heaving for air, his eyes frantically search for Rey. She can see the look of relief in his eyes when he finds her. He walks to meet her. Before he can reach her, a sudden bolt of force energy zaps Kylo. His body falls to the ground as energy jolts through his body.

“Kylo!” Rey screams. Her eyes follow the source of the energy bolt, landing on Palpatine. He had moved closer when they were fighting the guards. Kylo continues to helplessly shake and convulse as electricity courses through him. Rey’s fear turns into pure rage. She would not let her grandfather take another person she loves away from her. Her empty hand reaches out to Palpatine. Conjuring all of her force energy, she mentally pushes it out of her hand. The same force energy then releases from her fingertips, shocking Palpatine with a continuous bolt of force energy. When her energy bolt makes contact, he screams and releases Kylo from his energy bolts. Rey tries to focus her energy on killing Palpatine, but Kylo is not moving in her peripheral vision.

However, Rey can sense several guards standing up. She’s afraid to break her connection with the energy bolt flowing from her hand. This is only the second time she’s done this, and she doesn’t know how long she can sustain it. _“Ben,”_ she calls to him through the force, but he’s still not moving. _“Ben.”_ she calls more frantically.

Her other hand is still grasping her ignited lightsaber. One of the guard charges toward her at full speed. She sidesteps him and quickly swings her blade around, slicing through him. The energy bolt still holds, but waivers slightly. She glances at Palpatine who is still rendered helpless by her hold. Another guard picks up his blaster and begins to aim it at her. Rey slingshots her blade through the air. It slices clean through the guard’s neck then flies back to Rey’s hand. Rey stumbles as she feels her energy reserves begin to deplete. _“Ben,”_ she reaches out to him one last time. There’s still one more guard stumbling to his feet.

“Now, you’ll both suffer death at the hands of the one true emperor.” Palpatine laughs cruelly. Rey lifts her saber just in time to see Palpatine lifting his hand to release energy bolts. With one hand Rey blocks his energy bolts using her saber, while her other hand is shooting her own energy bolt at him. She’s losing energy fast and she knows she won’t be able to keep this up much longer. Not to mention she’s defenseless against the last guard.

She abruptly senses panic followed by yelling to her left. When she looks, she sees Kylo running to her with a blaster in his hand. As if in slow motion, she watches as he leaps in front of her. He grunts as a blast bolt hits him in the abdomen, then another in his chest. Kylo’s blaster rises to shoot the guard, killing him instantly. Rey screams in horror as she watches Kylo’s head crack on the stone floor. As her scream intensifies, so does her rage. The lightning bolts coming from her hand intensifies, illuminating the entire arena. Palpatine screams as he begins to shrivel. His own energy bolt releases as his arms fall away. His flesh and muscle begin to deteriorate at a rapid pace until there is nothing left but bone. Rey gives one final blast of energy before Palpatine is entirely disintegrated.

Her lightsaber drops and she falls to the ground crawling to Kylo. When she reaches him, she rolls him over on his back. His blood is everywhere and he’s unconscious. Her immediate thought is to force heal him, but she hesitates. Her force energy is almost completely depleted. She couldn’t heal him without dying, not yet. She would have to gain her strength back first. He was still alive but barely. Rey would need every bit of strength she had just to get him back to the First Order for proper medical care. Once she did that, then she could focus on healing him.

* * *

Rey lands the Tie Silencer sloppily in the First Order hangar bay. She jerks her harness off as the hatch opens. “Medic! I need a medic now!” she screams, hoping someone will listen. Two medic droids approach, with a floating stretcher. She sees a passing stormtrooper. “You! Help me now!” She demands. When he doesn’t immediately walk to her, she force grabs his neck and drags him to the ship. That seemed to get his cooperation.

They dragged Kylo out of the stretcher and onto the stretcher. The droids immediately began the necessary lifesaving protocols. Rey walked beside Kylo as it transported him to the med-bay. Several Commanders joined her on their walk, assessing Kylo’s condition. “Life assessment?” A commander asked the droid, to which it replied _“Critical, Survival rate fifteen percent.”_ The commander’s lack of reaction to Kylo’s state was a concern.

They made it to the med-bay, where the droid immediately began to prep Kylo for surgery. Rey remained in the med bay not far from Kylo, while still allowing them space to do their jobs.

“Rey, if you will, I can lead you to resting quarters.” a commander approaches her.

“I don’t think so.” Rey replies. Over her dead body is she letting Kylo alone with any of them. She had no doubt one of them would take his life without a second thought. She wasn’t letting him out of her sight.

“But Ma’am, you’ve done your part. Don’t you want to get cleaned up and get some rest?” another commander asks her.

“I’m not letting him out of my site.” she seethes at them. They back down at her threatening tone, seeming to get her point.

“The surgery could take hours, but as you wish.” the wiser of the commanders tells her. They take one last look at Kylo before they exit the med-bay.

Finally, Rey focuses on Kylo and collapses in the chair against the wall. Two droids have begun operating on his stomach. His shirt has been sliced open. Rey watches the steady beep of the heart rate monitor as they operate. Her eyes travel down to Kylo, who remains unconscious. Her eyes never leave his face as she begins to drift off, her body finally succumbing to sleep. Her head rests against the wall behind her as the steady beep of the heart monitor lulls her to sleep.


	5. Five

Chapter 5

Rey wakes with a start, jolting up out of her seat. She frantically searches her surroundings until her eyes land on Kylo. The medical droids have completed the surgery and are putting bandages over his wounds. From what she can observe, his condition is stable. At that moment, the door slides open as three commanders with several stormtroopers enter the room. They briefly glance at Rey before turning to the medical droid, asking for a status report.

The droid states in a mechanical voice, “Operation complete. Bed rest recommended for three weeks minimum. Chance of survival 25%.”

“When will he wake?” a Commander asks.

“Undetermined.” the robot states. A commander nods and turns to Rey.

“Now that the operation is complete, he’ll need rest to recover. We can show you to your quarters if you’ll follow me.” The commander directs her.

“No,” she cuts him off before he can even walk away. “I’ll remain with Kylo Ren until he wakes. Forgive me, but I don’t exactly trust the First Order, much less know who you are.” The commander makes a disgruntled sigh before replying.

“Rey, I understand your point, but you’re not exactly in a position of power to make that decision.” he states matter of factly.

“Did none of you remember that Kylo placed me as second in command during this operation? Palpatine is dead, but his fleet is still alive and well. Now, until his entire fleet is destroyed, I am in command.” Rey stands tall and states firmly.

“It will only-” his voice is cut off when Rey suddenly suspends him in the air. She had to show her power to get them to listen. It was obvious they were going to fight her tooth and nail. The other commanders and troopers watched in shock as he helplessly waved his hands around in the air. She wasn’t force-choking him, but she would if he forced her hand.

“You may not know this but let me enlighten you to the fact that I have the same force abilities as Kylo Ren. I don’t want to have to use my powers to get my point across, but I will if you continue to refuse to listen to me.” She gently lowers the commander back to the ground. She was irritated but wanted to give them a chance to correct their behaviors.

“Now, if you will, please secure me a room connected with Kylo’s so that I can look over him.”

“Yes Ma'am, right away.” The other, smarter commander replies. 

* * *

She walks down the hall alongside Kylo’s hovering form. He lays peacefully quiet, but Rey knows his body is fighting hard to stay alive. As soon as Rey is able, she would begin force healing him. The commanders stop in front of a seamless door and turn to Rey.

“This is Kylo’s room. It can only be opened from inside by Kylo.” They look at her, waiting for her to proceed. She closes her eyes and reaches out through the force. Simple. It was a locking mechanism that could only be locked from the inside. It was Kylo’s way of assuring that no one could get in while he was in his room. Reaching out with the force, Rey turns the bolt, unlocking the door. The door clicks open.

Rey enters the room while the med-droids immediately set up Kylo’s med-bed in an empty corner of the room. He’s still receiving meds and fluids through IV bags, so it’s necessary that he remain there. Rey looks around his quarters. It’s a large living area. There’s a king bed on one side of the large room, and a living area at the other end with two sofas and a lounge chair. A large window looking out into space is in the living area. Looking to one side of the room, she sees a door to the bathroom and another door to a walk-in closet. She imagined there would be an attached room.

“There are no other rooms?” Rey asks with a frown. She turns to see that only one commander follows her into Kylo’s quarters. The rest have already gone. The commander that remains is the one that seems to actually listen and maybe doesn’t hate Rey as much as the others...or at least he has a sense of self-preservation. ‘ _Commander Hux_ ’ she thinks.

“There are no quarters next to Ren’s for security purposes. While he remains unconscious, you can use his bed or the couch if you would rather. If neither of those are suitable, I can arrange a room for you, but it will be in another wing of the ship.”

Rey sighs deeply. “No, this is fine. Thank you.” She walks around the room taking everything in. She glances in the bathroom, which looks divine. “Um, is it possible I can get some clothes? This is all I have.” She looks down at her clothes. They’re covered in dirt and blood. She’s absolutely filthy.

“Actually, if you walk into the closet, Kylo took the liberty of having clothes made for you.” Commander Hux replies sheepishly, looking down at his crossed hands.

“Clothes...made for me?” Rey enters the closet with hesitation. It feels so personal to be in his closet, where his personal belongings are. On the left, there is a tower of narrow drawers followed by a long row of black clothing. The clothing clearly belongs to Kylo. There were also other items that weren’t his uniform, but they were all black or dark grey.

She looks to the right side of the closet, which mirrors the left. Her eyes stop when she sees a shimmer. _What the…?_ She walks further into the closet. Like the left side, the right side is full of hanging clothes, but they are not for Kylo. She pushes the hangers back and pulls out a gown. It’s a floor length black shimmering gown. It was actually quite elegant. _But why?_ Rey felt truly dumbfounded. Surveying the clothes, the majority of them were dresses. There were some sharp looking suits and some workout attire for training. Curious, she pulled open one of the drawers and found it full of panties. The next drawer was bras, then feminine-hygiene products, followed by two drawers of shoes. She slammed the last drawer shut in disbelief. Walking out of the closet, she found Hux still standing there. He didn’t seem shocked by her state of disbelief.

“So Kylo had these brought in...for _me_?” she asks puzzled.

“Yes, Ma’am.” he replies flatly.

“I see,” she looks around the room in confusion. When did he have the time to do this? “And how long have these clothes been here?”

“They were ordered not long after the Battle of Crait.” Rey pauses at his statement. How curious?

“So he selected them and ordered them...for _me_? Are you sure?” she asks him honestly.

“I assisted him with some of the selections, but yes, they were specifically ordered for you.” Hux replies with a little smugness but quickly hides it. Rey’s face blushes fiercely.

“But there are so many dresses here. I’ve never worn a dress before in my life.” She tells him.

“Well, naturally, yes. Typically the empress wears gowns, but I’m sure I can have more suits ordered.”

“EMPRESS?” Rey shouts at him in question. “He told you that? Do the others know, because they sure weren’t treating me like a future empress?” Rey feels lightheaded and flops down on the nearest couch.

“Yes, he told me that in confidence. I assumed he talked to you about it. I’m sorry I assumed-”

“It’s fine. You didn’t know.” Rey leans back with her palm on her forehead, trying to process everything.

“The others don’t know. Not specifically, but they highly suspect. I’m under Kylo’s orders that if they don’t cooperate with you, then I’m to tell them your plans to become empress to the First Order.”

“Wow, okay.” Rey breathes slowly attempting to compose herself. After a minute of deep breathing, Hux still stands awaiting his dismissal. “Well, I’m gonna get cleaned up now and rest.”

“Very well Ma’am. I took the liberty of ordering you some food. It should be here shortly. If you need anything, you can use the tablet on the nightstand to order food or communicate with me.”

“Okay, great. Thank you for your help.” she tells him, truly grateful for his assistance.

“Anytime.” he tells her before he exits. Rey locks the door and heads straight for the fresher.


	6. Six

Chapter 6

Grabbing a towel, Rey exits the fresher. She’s just had the most amazing and much needed shower ever. She doesn’t have such luxurious accommodations at the rebel base. After drying off, she finds a fluffy white robe to wrap around her. She enters the bathroom and looks around. Her eyes immediately land on Kylo. He lays unconscious still in the medical bed. She starts to walk to him until her rumbling stomach stops her. Maybe she should eat something first she decides. 

Back at the front door, there is a small, one-foot wide door. She opens the hatch to discover a tray of food waiting for her. She remembers that no one can enter the room unless they’re a force user. The small two-way compartment was a great way to have food securely delivered without being interrupted or entering the room.

Setting the tray of food on the coffee table in the lounge room, she curls up on the couch. The food looks delicious, but she hesitates. _Could it be poisoned_? As much as she doesn’t want to use her force powers in her weakened state right now, she doesn’t want to take that risk. Hovering her hand over the food, she searches with the force. She doesn’t sense any malice or danger. Deciding to trust the force, she digs into the food. She’s ravenous as she devours the entire meal. The food is much better than her rations are at the rebel base. 

After licking her plate clean, she collapses back into the couch. She’s feeling much better now but can feel her drowsiness taking over. She had already slept several hours during Kylo’s surgery. At the thought of him, she stands up. She turns the single chair in the living area around and pushes it over beside Kylo’s bed. Standing over him, she looks him over carefully. Her heart stutters at his vulnerable state. His chest is bare, and he wears black sleep pants. Two bandages cover his blaster wounds in his chest and stomach. The rest of his torso is peppered with scars from battle. Tears fill her eyes as she mourns for him. 

“Ben,” she sobs unexpectedly and surprises herself at the use of his old name. It felt right, after everything they had been through. He saved her life on Exegol. He was willing to sacrifice his life to save hers. In that moment, she had felt his fear and panic. He begged her to stay with him several times; to be with him. He made it clear he didn’t want to live life without her. As if a veil has been lifted, she begins to finally feel the full effects of his feelings for her. _He loves her._ She’s sure of it. She had been in denial before, but it was impossible to ignore now. 

She thinks of the life they might have together and how it could all be taken away in an instance. Tears begin to fall freely from her eyes as she mourns what could have been. Her hands reach out and hover over Ben’s torso.

“Ben. If you can hear me, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. I need you to fight. Fight for me. Come back to me.” she tells him tearfully. Finally, she sits down in the chair and gets to work. She was still too weak to fully heal him in one sitting, but she could do a little at a time. Moving her hands to one wound, she concentrates on the wound in his stomach. Closing her eyes she breathes deeply and pushes her force energy out of her hand and through his body. She moves slowly and methodically, trying not to exert too much of her energy at once. She knew she was in no state to make miracles happen right now. 

Slowly, she concentrates on mending his wound, stitching the muscle and flesh together. For two hours she works on the blaster wound on his stomach. She’s confident she repaired the one wound at least fifty percent. It’s enough that this wound would no longer put his life in jeopardy. But Rey knows there is still another critical wound to heal, and she suspects there is another issue internally she needs to heal.

Eventually, she collapses back in the chair. Her energy is almost completely depleted, and she knows she needs sleep desperately. Covering herself with a throw blanket from the couch, she curls back into the chair as close to Ben as possible. Her hand reaches out from underneath the blanket and grabs onto his limp hand on the bed. “Fight for me Ben.” she whispers as she closes her eyes and drifts off to sleep. _“Fight for me Ben,”_ she tells him through the force, unsure if he can hear her.

* * *

The next morning Rey awakes with her hand still clasped in Ben’s. Through the force she immediately can sense his vitals are still stable. _That’s good,_ she thinks. She stands up and stretches from the night she spent curled up in the chair. She looks over him trying to decide where she should begin healing next when she hears a click. She looks to the door and remembers the food delivery compartment. With an already growling stomach, she quickly makes her way to the small door. Upon opening the door, a delicious smell reaches her nose. On the tray is oatmeal and a bowl of fresh fruit.

With vigor she scarfs down the meal. The food is delicious and some of the fruit she has never tasted before. After she finishes her food, she decides to jump in the fresher again. She had spent the entire night in a bathrobe, but today she needs to get dressed. After a quick shower, she glances between Ben and the closet. She wants to solely focus on healing Ben, but she knows she should make her presence known with the First Order. She needed to make sure that Palpatine’s entire fleet is destroyed.

In the closet, she searches through the clothes. There are mostly dresses with the exception of two pant suits. The suits are still very feminine and quite elegant. She picks the simpler suit and puts it on. Back in the bathroom, she looks at herself in the mirror. The outfit is still very elegant. Rey has never worn anything quite this fancy before. She finds some hair clips in the closet, clearly picked out for her. Twirling her and clipping it back, she decides her look is finished. Looking at Ben’s sleeping form one more time, she puts on a brave face and leaves his room. After she secures the lock on Ben’s door, she tries to remember her way back to the control room.

After a few wrong turns, she eventually finds her way to the control room door. Upon entering, all eyes land on Rey. She enters slowly giving everyone time to assess her. Finally, two commanders turn around and notice Rey’s arrival. The commander Rey recognizes from last night, Commander Hux, looks at her with surprise but not unkindness. The two commanders approach her.

“Rey, I’m surprised to see you up and about so soon. How are you feeling?” Hux asks her with genuine interest. Rey feels a little relieved that it seems as if not every single person in the First Order wants her dead and out of the way. The commanders both await her response.

“I’m well, thanks. Much better than last night.” Rey tells them.

“How is Emperor Ren this morning? Vitals still stable?” the other commander asks.

“Yes, he’s still stable. He just needs time to heal.” Rey tells them. She decides not to tell them she’s force healing him. She doesn’t know if she can trust them yet.

“Wonderful. You clean up nicely. I see you’ve chosen the suit.” Hux tells her, looking her over. Rey blushes slightly. She wears boots over the black pants and blazer that feel custom made for her body. The form fitting suit does nothing to hide her figure.

“Well, I didn’t have much of a choice now did I? ” she says sarcastically. “But I’m not here to discuss my wardrobe Commander Hux. I’m here to oversee our attack on Palpatine’s fleet. Can I get a status report?”

“Of course.” Hux straightens. “Follow me.”

Rey follows him to the front of the control room. There are multiple display panels that show various information and data. Rey learns that the First Order began their attack three hours after Ben and Rey arrived on Exegol. Rey wonders why they waited so long to attack Palpatine’s fleet when they were under direct orders to attack immediately. She listened to Hux explain that they were still working to destroy Palpatine’s entire fleet. First Order squadrons were being deployed in small increments to attack.

“Why did you wait so long to attack? The First Order had a clear path to reach Palpatine’s fleet.” Rey asks him without hiding her frustration.

“That’s a wonderful question I’ve been asking myself. You’ll have to ask Commander Pryde. He’s in charge of the attack. I don’t have the authoritative powers I once did.”

“Take me to him.” She tells them.

“He’s unavailable at the moment.” the other commander tells her.

“Unavailable? What do you mean?” she asks.

“He’s not on the ship. He often leaves when he’s off duty. No one knows where he goes.” the commander replies.

“Does Be- Kylo know about this?”

A slight smirk reaches Hux’s lips when she almost uses his former name. He wipes the smirk off of his face quickly. “No Ma'am. This is a fairly new occurrence and it would be considered insubordination if we were to directly tell Emperor Ren.

“Hmm,” Rey wonders. His actions were highly suspicious. “When will he be back?”

“There’s a strategy meeting this afternoon. All commanders attend and Emperor Ren is usually there.” Hux tells her. Rey thinks it over to determine what to do. She has time to work on healing Ben until the strategy meeting. Also, she needs more intel before she can make any rash decisions.

“Okay. I’m going back to Kylo’s room for now, but I’ll attend the meeting this afternoon. Hux, will you escort me back to my room.” she asks him.

“Very well.” Hux nods and walks beside her back to her room. When they exit the control room, Rey makes sure no one is within earshot. 

“Can I trust you to tell me if there’s anything I should be concerned about?” she asks Hux with a firm tone.

“Yes Ma’am.” Hux tells her.

“Do you think there’s anything I should know or be suspicious about with Commander Pryde?” she asks him bluntly

“I’m suspicious of him myself, but I’m already on thin ice as it is. If I say anything out of line, I’m finished.” he tells her.

“Please understand that what you tell me here today will be in the strictest confidence. So speak your mind.”

Hux takes a deep breath. “I suspect that Commander Pryde is deliberately delaying our attacks on Palpatine’s fleet. I don’t know why, but I have my suspicions. His rendezvouses began shortly before we discovered Palpatine had returned.” He lets out a deep sigh, waiting for her to dismiss his theory.”

“Hmmm. So what do you think? Why do you think he delayed the attacks?”

“To allow some of the fleet to escape,” he pauses with dramatic flair, “because he serves Palpatine.”

Rey stops for a moment at his words. Could he possibly be serving Palpatine? It wouldn’t be the craziest thing she’s heard. She begins walking again until they reach Ben’s door. She turns to face Hux.

“Thank you for your honesty. I will get to the bottom of this at the strategy meeting today. In the meantime, if you feel there’s anything else I should know or that concerns you, please come to me.”

* * *

Once she’s back in the room, she immediately makes a beeline for Ben’s bed. She gently rests her hand on his cheek to glance over him. His vitals were still stable, and he had a little of his color back. Rey could tell the med droids had replaced his bandages while she was out.

With the little time that she has, she sits down and gets to work on Ben. She focuses on the second blaster wound in his chest. Force healing was long and tedious, but effective. It requires all of her concentration and energy. She vows to heal as much of this wound as she can before the strategy meeting.

After several hours of force healing, Rey is exhausted. She stopped to take a break and eat lunch in the room. She didn’t waste any time getting right back to work on his wound. Now, it was almost time for the meeting. She sits next to Ben and clasps his hand in hers.

“Ben, can you hear me?” she wonders aloud. She rubs her hand back and forth across his palm. “Because if you can, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for saving me.” She looks down, unable to contain her composure. Tears fill her eyes to the brim. “Please come back, please. I can’t do this without you. I need you here.” She sniffles.

There’s a knock at her door and she stands abruptly, wiping her tears. “I’ll be back soon.” she whispers to him before giving his hand a squeeze.

* * *

Hux escorts her to the meeting room where the strategy meeting is set to begin in just a few short minutes. When Rey enters, all eyes are on her once again. She needs to get used to that. There’s a long boardroom table, but the room is otherwise bare. Hux navigates her to the head of the table.

“This is where Ren usually sits,” he tells her. She looks at him in question. “I think you should sit here.” he tells her honestly.

Nodding her head, she pulls out the chair and takes a seat at the head of the table. There are nine other chairs, most of them already occupied. Hux takes his seat further down the table on the left. The other commanders cannot hide their stares despite their efforts. Rey puts on a fierce face because she knows she’ll meet opposition during this meeting. She needs to put on a strong front if they are going to listen to her and take her seriously. Lastly, Commander Pryde enters the room. His steps stutter when he sees Rey sitting at the head of the table

“What are you doing here?” he asks harshly, not hiding the disdain in his voice. Slowly, Rey rises to her feet so that she can meet him at eye level.

“You’re late.” she tells him simply. “Where have you been?”

“That is none of your concern!” he spits. “I should-”

“I am in charge!” she shouts over his voice. “Or did you forget Kylo’s orders again?” The commander remains speechless as he glances over the rest of the commanders. He clears his throat. “I’m here to oversee the defeat of Palpatine’s fleet, so I suggest you join us and sit down!” she says in a booming voice. That seemed to get everyone’s attention. Everyone watches them both waiting for him to respond. Wordlessly he goes to the opposite end of the table and takes a seat.

One of the commanders begins the meeting by announcing the agenda. They briefly talk over supplies and ammunition, as well as stormtrooper recruiting numbers. Other commanders chime in to read their reports. Rey listens carefully to learn as much as she can about First Order operations. Finally, they get to the main topic of the assault on Exegol. Commander Pryde begins to brief the room. He reports major casualties, and states that he’ll need to deploy another squadron of thirty ties to join the fight. Everyone nods in agreement.

“Forgive me for interrupting Commander Pryde, but why are you only sending in one squadron of thirty? You said we’ve suffered major casualties. We should be sending in far more fighters.” Everyone’s eyes shift to Pryde as he explains.

“Studies have shown that sending in squadrons on at a time proves to be effective strategically, and it decreases our total casualties.” he replies with an annoyed look.

“Have you actually been to Exegol? Have you looked upon their fleet?” she asks him point blank.

“No.” he looks down, “but I have reports on the numbers of warships to be no more than forty.”

He was lying. Rey could sense it. The force sensed malice. Why was he lying? There were far more than forty warships. He _had_ been to Exegol. Why would he lie about that unless… Understanding dawns on her. She stands up slowly, glad that she has her lightsaber clipped to her dress pants. 

“So let me understand this correctly. You waited to attack Exegol until three hours after Kylo and I arrived, giving you a direct path to their fleet. Even though Kylo ordered you to attack immediately. And even then, you only sent one squadron of tie fighters? And since then you have only deployed one squadron at a time to Exegol. Is that correct?”

There are murmurs across the room. The rest of the room is beginning to see the flawed logic in his actions

“Yes, that’s correct.” he states, looking around the room nervously. “But you don’t understand the complexities of strategizing during war. How can you possibly know?” 

“But this is what I _do_ know. I know that you deliberately ignored Emperor Ren’s order to attack immediately. I know that you lied about the number of warships on Exegol. I was there, remember? I know for a fact, that there were at least seventy warships. Which means sending one squadron at a time would have done nothing to destroy Palpatine’s fleet. Lastly, I know that you lied about never having been to Exegol. You _have_ , in fact, been to Exegol!” she shouts at him.

He stands up in his defense. “You foolish girl! You can’t possibly know that. You know nothing!” He spits in anger. Everyone at the table looks on in shock, not knowing what to believe. A few commanders stand up at the tension. Rey had to know for sure before she throws the final stone. She reaches out with the force and enters his mind. She searches his memories to confirm what Hux believed to be true. He _was_ serving Palpatine! Her hand discreetly drifts near her lightsaber just in case she needs it.

“You didn’t deploy the First Order fleet because you wanted to give Palpatine’s warships a chance to escape. If his followers survive, then there’s always the chance that he could be brought back again. You’ve been visiting Exegol. That’s where you’ve been going when you leave here. You serve Palpatine. Palpatine is your master and always has been!” she spits at him.

“You dumb scavenger!” he shouts as he draws his blaster on her. “Palpatine is the one true supreme ruler!” he yells before firing his blaster.

With force speed, Rey draws her lightsaber and deflects the blaster shot. The bolt bounces off of her saber and hits Commander Pryde in the center of his chest. He collapses to the floor immediately. Rey looks over the rest of the room to make sure no one else was going to attack her. Everyone in the room is on their feet in shock.

“Are you okay?” the commander closest to her on her right asks her. “Are you injured?”

“I’m fine.” Rey breathes heavily with adrenaline. “Now, somebody tell me how many warships we have.”

“Fifty. Ten additional ships will be out of production and fully operational by the end of the week.” someone tells her. Rey could admit to herself that she didn’t know much about war. But she knew they had to do something.

“Hux,” all eyes land on him, “How many warships should we send to Exegol today?” she asks him.

“Thirty-five to start Ma’am.” Hux states.

Rey looks around the table. “Thirty-five warships. Are we all in agreement?” Everyone nods their head in agreement. “Great. Send thirty-five warships to Exegol immediately. We’ll meet here again at noon tomorrow, unless urgent matters require us to meet sooner. Tomorrow, I will listen to all strategies that you may have. Goodnight everyone.”


	7. Seven

Chapter 7

The following week is a whirlwind. Every second Rey isn’t learning to navigate First Order politics is spent healing Ben. She works tirelessly between the two but is surprised to discover she’s not half bad at it. She knows she can’t keep this pace up forever. As soon as Ben is healed hopefully she’ll be able to rest. Plus, she’ll have Ben at her side...or at least she thinks she will. 

She spends all of her free time at Ben's side. The force healing is working but it's a slow process that drains Rey of her energy. The damage to his internal organs must have been worse than she originally estimated. Through the slow healing process, she memorizes every scar and burn on his torso. Those eventually begin to fade through her force healing; a positive side effect. Then, she memorizes every dip, curve and muscle on him. It’s hard not too when he’s so massive and close to her. Her eyes trace over each individual ab on his stomach up to his larger pectorals and shoulders. She admits that he’s rather pleasant to look at. His facial features make him look so peaceful in his resting state. She’s never been this close to him before; not to any man really. 

She wonders how he will respond when he wakes up.. _.if he wakes up_. Will he be angry at her for taking care of him and force healing him? She knows Kylo Ren doesn’t like to show weakness. But this is Ben. It was Ben that asked her to stay. Would he still be Ben if he woke up?

Rey talks to him. She doesn’t know if he can hear her, but she tells him her worries and fears anyway. She voices her fear of the unknown. _Where do they go from here? Does she leave to return to the Resistance, or does she stay here with him?_ She tells him she honestly doesn’t know if she can stay here or how she can stay? _She cannot stay if innocent people continue to be murdered. She won’t do it._ She makes it absolutely clear to him...if he can hear her. It’s so easy to talk to him like this while his face is neutral. He can’t respond or react to her words. Usually, she can see every emotion on his face. He was never good at hiding his emotions. She can almost guess what rushed words will come out of his mouth just by the look on his face. Yet she still misses the deep timbre of his voice. When he’s angry, that powerful, booming voice can reduce you to a cowering mess. But when he’s not angry, his voice can be calm and soft, like a steady heartbeat that you want to cling to. Its calming effect could comfort her in even her most desperate state. She learned that on Ahch-To.

She attends strategy meetings daily, following progress on the defeat of Palpatine’s fleet. They’re making quick progress, but Rey worries some warships may have escaped. Nearly half of the Commanders have started to cooperate and treat her with an ounce of respect. They actually begin to listen and give her real guidance when needed. The others are quiet except for their murmurs or sarcastic remarks toward Rey. She can wait. One thing Rey has is patience. Eventually, they’ll come to respect her, and if they can‘t, well then, she could always make them. She giggles to herself jokingly. She wouldn’t actually make them, though her power gave her a newfound confidence she didn’t have before. She couldn’t trust her subordinates if they served her in fear. That was Kylo’s mistake. She wanted to show them respect and earn it in return.

It also helped that her appearance had improved. After the first two days of pant suits, she had no choice but to wear the dresses in her closet. She could wear the workout clothing she had, but the formal attire went a lot further in getting the commanders’ cooperation. Her more professional appearance made it easier for them to view her as “one of them.” The dresses did take some getting used to, though she had to admit they weren’t as uncomfortable as she thought they would be. In the mirror, she looked way too glamorous to her liking. If she wore a dress, then she had to wear a certain dress shoe to match. A few times she had to embarrassingly ask Hux for help with matching. Some of the dresses would not allow for her to wear a bra or her breast band. Of course these were dresses for more formal occasions, and she had yet to wear one. Overall, she had to admit the wardrobe change had helped in her efforts to blend in with the First Order. 

On her eighth night with the First Order, she completed her force healing on Ben’s body. She had focused so thoroughly to heal his blaster wounds, that she had neglected his head. Remembering he hit his head on the floor of Palpatine’s throne room, she refocused her energy on his head. Pulsating energy flows through his head until the scar across his face fades away. Finally, Rey relaxes her hands. Her work was done. She did all that she could do. Now it was up to Ben to rest and wake up, if the force wills it. She sleeps beside him again that night like she has since she arrived. She slept fitfully, hoping Ben would wake up in the night. But when the morning alarm went off waking her, Ben still lay silent. Resting her forehead against his, she cups his face in her hands and speaks to him through the force. _“Wake up Ben. Come back to me.”_

With a deep sigh, she stands and stretches her body. In the fresher she mindlessly scrubs her body. She’s on autopilot, her mind too numb to think. Searching through the closet, she picks out the first dress she grabs. At this point she knows all the remaining dresses will be too formal for her taste. She needs to remember to ask Hux when her other clothes will be laundered. To her dismay, this dress is strappy so she can’t wear a bra. There’s a full skirt made from shimmery black fabric which flows down to the floor. She slides into it easy enough, zipping the back while noticing there’s a split allowing most of her left leg to peek through. The rest of the dress requires some assembly. The skirt zips up just over her belly button while two long swaths of fabric are attached at the waistband. She’s puzzled as she figures out what she’s supposed to do. She looks at the tag, which finally clues her in. The long pieces of fabric wrap around your torso several times to cover your breasts and tie in the back. It looks like there are several ways to wear the dress, but Rey is just hopeful to figure out one decent way to wear it. She really has to talk to Hux about her wardrobe. This simply won’t do.

After several attempts, she finally ties it in place behind her. Looking in the mirror has her unsure about leaving the room. The dress really is nice but she’s not overly confident in the wrapped top portion. The fabric is wrapped twice around her torso and a third time to cover her breasts, then up around her shoulders to tie in the back. Some of her stomach peaks through the fabric as it crisscrosses, making little striped patterns. Without another option, she accepts defeat. She dabs a little kohl above and underneath her eyes to make her look like she at least belongs in the outfit. Twisting her hair up in a messy bun, she calls it a day.

During today’s strategy meeting, all of the control monitors are on display in the boardroom. They are able to see all of the control room monitors on display to track First Order progress. They go through their daily routines and updates. Rey interjects and asks questions where it seems fit. The topic of First Order recruitment comes up as several commanders discuss numbers needed for recruitment. One commander brings up the option to draft children as they used to before. Rey speaks up at the unspeakable outrage of the proposition. She passionately tells them that drafting children is downright criminal and she won’t stand for it as long as she’s there. They quiet at her protest and move on to the next topic. She speaks up again to refuse aid to a government on a faraway planet. There is a civil uprising in their government caused by the poor mine workers in the community. The government is asking the First Order to send troops to aid in defeating the mine workers. Rey vehemently refuses to send aid, claiming they need to pay their workers living wages and improve working conditions. Several commanders look at her like she’s grown a second head, but Rey doesn’t care. If she’s going to stay here, the First Order has to change.

Next, they move on to the lengthy overview of Palpatine’s fleet. Turning to the monitors, they pour through the multiple screens of data. Exegol has officially been cleared of all of Palpatine’s fleet. They’ve searched the remainder of the galaxy to seek out any warships that may have escaped. After a thorough look at the data and maps, they all agree that Palpatine and his army have been eradicated. There is a quiet moment among them as Rey lets that information sink in. After a slight pause, someone clicks to another slide showing a map with markers. Everyone looks at it, but no one says anything.

“What is this?” Rey asks looking at the screen. There’s a map showing an unidentified location and about a dozen location markers on the map. Rey stares for a moment and glances to the bottom right portion of the screen when she sees the label. _“Possible Rebel Location Identified.”_ Rey’s heart drops. She swivels her chair around to face everyone and stands. No one says a word.

“Care to explain? Anyone?” Rey asks with anger laced in her voice.

“We believe we have located the Rebel base.” Commander Quinn bravely speaks up.

“I see that. Care to explain when you located them? Our agreement was that the First Order would cease all operations regarding the Resistance. Yet here we are, and you’ve miraculously discovered them.” she seethes.

“The resistance has always been on our radar Rey. We did cease out plans of attack against them per the agreement. But that time is now over. This is our prime opportunity to attack.” Commander Quinn states without emotion.

Rey looks at the map on the screen behind her when she hears the click of the remote. The next screen is a plan of attack on the Resistance. Rey slams her fist on the table and looks back at everyone with fury.

“No! You will not attack the Resistance! I forbid it. Kylo Ren is still unwell and until then I am in charge!” Rey spits at them. Half of Commanders look as if they feel bad for Rey and want to help her. The other half look smug and unaffected.

“With all due respect, you do not have the authority to order the First Order anymore. We both held up our ends of the bargain. Our agreement has come to an end. Palpatine’s fleet is gone, so you are no longer in charge. We can handle things just fine until Emperor Ren awakes,” Commander Quinn continues to speak, “This has always been Ren’s number one priority. We will begin our attack on the Rebel base tonight.”

Shaking with rage, Rey takes a step back. All of the progress she had made with the First Order seemed for nothing. All the work these past days to build rapport and trust… did it mean nothing to them? She shakes her head in disbelief and disgust. They only saw her as a scavenger. They dealt with her only as long as they had to and now they were giving her the boot. They were going to fire upon her friends and family while she was still on their ship. That’s how little respect they had for her.

Suddenly, the door slams open and Ben barges in. He’s dressed in his typical black uniform with a cowl and boots. His intense eyes glance over the room when they land on Rey. His eyes widen in awe and astonishment as he takes her in. The room is silent. A wave of intense relief passes over Rey at seeing Ben very much alive and well. Her relief is short lived when she remembers why she is shaking and breathing heavy. _The Resistance_. Kylo Ren’s obsession with eradicating the Rebels. Kylo... _or was it Ben, she couldn’t tell_ , was staring at her with the same intense stare as she.

“Emperor Ren, so glad to see you’re finally up and feeling better,” the same asshole Commander Quinn speaks up, “Shall we brief you? We have several updates that you’ll be glad to hear.”

“Yes, Commander,” Rey tells him with venom in her voice, “Please do update Emperor Ren with all of the First Order’s recent activities. Excuse me.”

The Commander begins speaking as Ben moves around the table to the front of the room closer to Rey. Decidedly, Rey moves around the other side of the table and exits quickly, leaving Ben to deal with the First Order Commanders.

Rey runs back to her room. _No_ , not her room. Ben’s room. She barely holds back a sob as she makes it to the bedroom. 

She collapses onto the bed that she’s never slept in. She feels an onslaught of emotions all at once. Part of her is ecstatic that Ben is awake. The other part of her is livid that the First Order plans to attack the Resistance despite her pleas. This is what Kylo Ren wanted all along, _wasn’t it?_ She thought he loved her; she really did. And maybe he does in his own way. But he puts his own needs and the First Order’s needs first. That’s where his priorities lie. How could she be so stupid?

She jolts up and goes to the closet. Leaving the dresses, she pulls her clothes out of the drawers: tunics, capris, underwear, and bras. She piles them on the bed. Running to the bathroom she grabs her toiletries and finds a pillowcase. It’ll work. She returns to the foot of the bed and unfolds the pillowcase. Opening the pillowcase, she begins shoving the toiletries inside. She has to leave. She doesn’t belong here. She has to warn her friends about the attack. He would let her leave...wouldn’t he? She’ll fight her way out if she has to. It was foolish of her to believe that she could stay here...with him. She laughs at herself as a tear falls from her eye.

Unexpectedly, she hears the scraping of metal as the lock turns and the door to the room slides open. Rey whips around to face him, surprised at his presence so soon. He should have been in that meeting for at least another hour. Ben rushes into the room and freezes in place when he sees Rey packing. His face drops.

“Kylo,” she stutters, “You should be in the meeting.”

“What are you doing?” he asks quietly, taking a tentative step forward. Rey notices how careful he is with her now. Determined not to be swayed, she turns back to the bed and continues shoving items in the pillowcase.

“I’m leaving.” she tells him sternly while shoving a tunic in the pillowcase.

"Why?" he asks her with a crack in his voice. She can’t hold herself back anymore. Her emotions come bursting out of her and she needs to let him know. She spins to face him, abandoning the pillowcase on the bed.

“ _Why?_ Because not even five minutes after we defeat Palpatine’s fleet and your First Order has already located the Resistance and they plan to attack them tonight. I was so elegantly told that I had no authority anymore and they could ‘handle it from here.’ I can’t stay here with you Kylo. I can’t stay here and watch you murder my friends. I was so stupid to think I could stay here with you and change the First Order. Nothing will ever change.” Tears are now streaming down her face. “I have to go now. I have to save them.”

Taking one last step to close the distance, Kylo drops to his knees. His hands grab Rey firmly around her waist. Rey gasps at the contact. His eyes plead with her.

“Rey, please don’t leave. Please don’t leave me.” Kylo begs her with a quivering voice.

“Kylo, I can’t st-”

“Ben,” he interrupts her. “Call me Ben like you have been these past few days. I want to be Ben with you.” Rey hesitates at his words. That means he did hear her while he was sleeping.

“I-I still can’t stay.” 

“I’ll do anything Rey... _anything_.” he desperately tells her. His fingers caress over her exposed skin through the dress. “I called off the attack. I didn’t sanction it. I have some overzealous commanders who like to take liberties when I’m not around. The Resistance is safe. I’ve known the Rebel’s location numerous times since Crait, and I’ve never attacked. I halted all other operations until further command. Nothing will happen without your approval. Nothing. The First Order is yours if you want it.”

“What? But why?” Rey stares down at him shocked and dumbfounded. He rests his forehead on her stomach and pulls her in tighter, inhaling her scent.

“Because I need you with me. I cannot live without you by my side. Please don’t leave. Just...just stay.” he sighs against her skin. His fingers skim over her skin back and forth around her waist. Rey tries to wrap her head around his words. His touch excites and distracts her.

“You’re really not going to attack the Resistance?” she asks wearily.

“No, I’m not.” He turns his head to the side and rests his cheek on her stomach. His skin is warm and brings a flush to her cheeks. Her hands drift to pat his hair awkwardly. “I heard you talking to me while I slept. I heard every word. How can I let you go now? We belong together.”

“Ben, I-” she stops when she feels the press of Ben’s lips on the skin of her exposed stomach just above her belly button. Her hands relax in Ben’s hair as she looks down at him. His eyes are closed as he presses another kiss to her skin.

“You healed my body with your force energy. You made me whole again. You protected me while I was injured. You were right, you know. One of them would have tried to kill me. You were right to stay with me. You saved me. That’s more than anyone has ever done for me.” His hands give another squeeze and his fingers slide underneath the crisscrossing fabric to gently caress her skin.

“It’s nothing Ben. Besides, you saved me in Exegol. You took two blaster wounds for me.” she stutters as he moves to another patch of exposed skin to press his mouth against it.

“It’s not nothing.” His lips hover over her as he glances up to meet her gaze. “It’s everything. You’re everything.” His eyes stay locked with hers as his mouth drifts back down to her stomach.

She squeezes her eyes closed, unable to quite believe what’s happening. His fingers on her skin slide up, shifting the stretchy fabric with him. Her hands tighten in his hair as she lets out a slight whimper. She feels his tongue on his next kiss higher on her stomach. Shifting the straps of her dress until they loosen considerably, he peppers wet kisses all over her stomach. His gloveless hands drift up until they reach just under the loose fabric over her breasts. He looks up to find Rey heaving against him. She has never experienced the intimate touch of a man like this. He watches her carefully as his hands drift up to remove the fabric covering her breasts. She makes no attempts to stop him. Sliding his hands up, he exposes her breasts. The straps of the dress now completely unravel and fall below her waist. Her torso is now completely exposed to his view. He takes in her supple breasts and small, pink nipples. They both breath heavy as he begins to explore her body. Reaching up, he takes one breast into his right hand. He massages it gently as he watches in amazement. Little did Rey know that Ben also had little experience in this area.

Rey gasps when Ben reaches up to touch the tip of tongue to her nipple. She lets out a soft “Oh” when he wraps his lips around the rest of her nipple. His lips and tongue rub against the sensitive nipple, causing her to moan and dig her hands further into his hair. She pulls his head in closer to her chest, showing him she’s enjoying it. Ben groans in response. He moves his mouth to her other breast, eliciting more whimpers from Rey. Her noises spur Ben forward.

Slowly standing, his mouth moves up leaving wet kisses across her chest. His mouth greedily devours her neck and shoulders as he presses his body against hers. His hands return to her waist, pulling her tightly against him. Stunned, Rey feels his erection pressing against her. It sends new sensations to Rey’s core and she can’t help but respond. “Ben,” she moans and presses herself against him.

“Rey,” he moans back. Suddenly, his mouth is on hers hot and heavy. He devours her mouth, pushing his tongue inside. He’s wet and messy and Rey loves every bit of it. She quickly catches up and gives in return with just as much vigor. She relishes his taste and scent.

Their kisses heighten their state of arousal. His hand frantically rushes down to find the split in her dress. Finding the split, he quickly parts it and slides his hand inside. His hand slides up her leg to cup her between the legs. Rey moans loudly at the contact. He presses his thigh in between her leg, effectively bringing his erection closer to her. When he finds her panties soaked through, he growls loudly. He rubs her mound in a circular motion, drawing cries from Rey. Hoisting her leg up around his waist, she rubs herself against his hand.

He moves his hand to grab her thigh wrapped around him. Swiftly, he replaces his hand with his erection. Grinding into her repeatedly, she gasps his name over and over. With one hand on her waist and the other holding her leg, he pulls her tight against him as he thrusts against her hot center. Rey is overwhelmed by the sensations. They continue to kiss deeply as they rub against each other.

Rey feels something building inside her. She’s never felt like this before. She feels frantic and needy. The hand on her waist drifts down and grabs her ass. He squeezes firmly and pulls her even tighter against him. His cloth-covered erection rubs against some part of her she never knew existed. She throws her head back and lets out a breathy whine as she comes. Every part of her goes tense while she rides her orgasm to completion.

“Oh kriff, Rey.” Ben pants out as he ruts against her one last time before stilling as he comes. They both pant as they come down from their highs. 

Rey feels wetness dripping down her thighs with mortification. Suddenly, she jerks her leg down and backs up. Ben is looking at her with confusion.

“Why-why did you do that?” she asks him. “Are you trying to trick me? To confuse me?” she asks him.

“What? No, of course not!” he stammers a reply with worry in his voice. Rey takes a step back to think. She was so overcome with the feeling of being with Ben that she wasn’t thinking clearly. She looks down and realizes how exposed she is. She covers her breasts with her hands and looks back to Ben. There is sadness in his eyes.

“I need time to think. Please, Ben.” she runs to the closet to change. Sick of wearing the dresses, she puts on her workout gear; capris and a tunic with her well-worn boots. 

Ben is sitting on the bed bent forward with his head resting in his hands. When she returns to the room, he sits up with worry all over his face. Her heart melts for him. She can’t leave him suspended like this. She approaches him with a gentle voice.

“I’m not leaving Ben. At least not yet. I just need some time to think. I’m going to train. Okay?”

“Okay.” he relents with a sigh.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rey escapes to the training room after assuring Ben that she’s not leaving the First Order. Finding the training room, Rey quickly loses herself in mindless exercise. It’s not the first time she’s used this room. The training room had been a God’s send during her stay. She lifts weights and runs on the treadmill until her body is numb. After several miles of running, she stops to stretch her body on the floor.

She allows her mind to process all that’s happened today. Ben had been so open and honest with her. She knew his intentions were true, but would he really be able to honor them? Would he really allow her to rule and make decisions? It’s not like Rey wants to actually rule the First Order alone. Rey has no desire for power. It’s not power she craves but peace. But if ruling the First Order means she can put a stop to all this madness, then so be it. 

Standing with a long stretch, Rey goes to the weapons rack to choose a sparring sword. Testing its weight, she gives it several practice swings. While she’s here, she might as well practice her forms. She misses sparring with her friends at the Resistance. She walks onto the practice pad and begins with the basic forms she knows. Luke had just started teaching her proper forms before their training ended abruptly. Since that time, she had started practicing new forms she found sketched in the Jedi texts. These new forms didn’t come as natural to her, so she continued to practice each form.

“Almost,” Rey jolts at the sound of his voice. She breaks her form to turn around to find Ben leaning against the doorframe of the room. He stands up straight and walks tensely toward Rey. “Your right elbow should be higher, and you need to turn your torso straight.” Ben gently tells her. He walks onto the practice pad and slowly approaches her. 

“May I?” He asks, holding his hands out tentatively. Rey’s eyes drift down to his hands seeking permission to touch her. She nods slowly and turns back around to assume her form. Ben’s hands touch her arm and tilt it higher. His hands then drift to her waist. With his large hands firmly grasping each side, he turns her torso forward. “Your frame should be facing your opponent in this form.” One of his hands drifts to her belly and puts pressure on it. “Hold your core tense. It allows you to strike quicker.” His hands let go of her and he backs away. Rey tenses her core like he instructed. “Good.” he tells her. Rey hopes he doesn’t notice her slight tremble. Watching her form, he walks around her until he is standing in front of her. He’s not too close that her sparring sword will touch him.

“Good. Now show me your next form,” he tells her. She moves onto the next form, feeling the heat of his gaze. Rey is unnerved by his intense scrutiny. Remembering the Jedi texts, she tries to focus on perfecting her form. Been nods unknowingly as he assesses her next form. “Good, except your legs need to be a little wider apart and knees bent slightly.” Rey adjusts as Ben advises. They continue like this for some time; Rey showing him the forms she knows and Ben adjusting them. He then shows her some forms she hasn’t learned yet. To her surprise, there are a lot of forms and fighting styles. Rey realizes she still has a lot to learn.

“Have dinner with me?” Ben asks her suddenly as she puts away her sparring sword. She hesitates with her back turned to him as she considers her answer. She still hasn’t made a decision on what to do. It’s a big decision and everything is so new. But when she looks into his pleading eyes, she can’t help but give him the answer he wants.

“Okay. I need to get cleaned up first.” she tells him.

“Of course. Take your time.” He tells her with relief in his eyes. “I’m gonna practice a bit longer, then I’ll join you.”

“Okay.”

“It’s a date.” he tells her with a quirk of his lips.

* * *

Rey quickly makes her way down the corridor back to Ben’s quarters before she is halted by Commander Hux.

“Empress Rey,” Hux stops Rey in her tracks with his words, “If I could have a few minutes of your time. There are a few matters that need your attention.”

“Okaaay,” she replies uncertainly. Following Hux to the boardroom, they enter to find several other commanders gathered around the table. Suddenly, Rey feels out of her element. She’s covered in sweat in her scrappy workout clothes. But then she remembers Hux just called her Empress. She straightens her back and stands tall.

“What matters need my attention?” Rey blurts out.

The commanders look back and forth at each other before attempting to speak. Rey wonders who drew the short straw. One of the commanders finally speaks.

“There are several matters that need your immediate attention. First, you need to decide if we’ll be sending aid or troops to the small government facing a civil uprising. If we’re going to help them, we need to do so soon.” Rey frowns at their question.

“We talked about this earlier and you didn’t listen to me. Go ask Emperor Ren.” she tells them with frustration in her voice.

“Well, we did Ma'am. But Kylo insisted that we follow your orders.” the commander replies.

“My orders?” Rey asks, baffled.

“Yes, all orders need your final approval, even previous orders set into motion such as these.” he tells her. Rey contemplates this new information. It seems that Ben has actually told his commanders to follow her orders...indefinitely.

“Then, no, we will not send aid or troops to the planet. But we can send two negotiators; one acting on the government’s behalf and the other acting on the uprising’s behalf. Hopefully, they can come together and negotiate a treaty that is beneficial to both sides to end the uprising.” she tells them.

“Very well. Excellent idea.” the commander says, and types notes in his holopad. Rey rolls her eyes at his praise. Several hours ago they were guffawing in her face at her suggestions.

“Next, we need to discuss the mandatory draft-”

“Stop the draft.” Rey cuts him off. “I want you to stop all mandatory drafts right now. We will be making some changes and that’s going to require reevaluating our recruitment efforts.” The commander nods and types more notes in his holopad.

“We need to get your guidance on the Rebel attack. We were planning to attack tomorrow first thing. But with a change in leadership you might have other orders.”

“Right, of course. Stop the attack. The Resistance won’t be a threat if they know I’m here.”

With a wary look, the commander jots down his notes.

“And lastly, when would you like to proceed with your coronation?”

“Coronation?” Rey spits out in surprise.

“Yes, Emperor Ren informed us he will be stepping down as Emperor and you will be succeeding as Empress. He wants to give you control right away so we’ll need to make a public announcement soon.” Commander Hux tells her.

Rey steps back as her head spins. _Ben is really doing this._ He’s following through with his actions. He’s already set into motion a plan for her to lead the First Order. Her alone! This isn’t what she wants, not really. She wants to lead by his side...by Ben’s side, not Kylo Ren’s.

“This can wait for tomorrow. We can talk more then.” Rey tells them and quickly exits the boardroom. She all but runs to Ben’s quarters. Once inside, she goes straight for the fresher. She washes away the sweat and tears, scrubbing herself clean. Her hands drift in between her legs as she remembers Ben’s hand there not that long ago. She feels a familiar ache growing inside of her at the thought of Ben.

Remembering that Ben will be joining her shortly, she shuts off the shower. Wrapped in a big fluffy towel, she goes back to the closet to peruse clothing options. She decides to put on the same gown she had on earlier today. Zipping the skirt up to her waist, she then wraps the flowing straps around her torso covering her breasts and tying securely around her neck. In front of the bathroom mirror, she stares at herself trying to decide how to style her hair. She has very limited skill with hair, but she’ll try her best. That’s when she hears the door open to Ben’s quarters. The bathroom door is open, inviting Ben inside. She sees Ben in the mirror as he walks in behind her.

“You look beautiful,” he tells her. He’s covered in sweat and breathing heavily from training.

“Thank you,” she says shyly. “I was just trying to fix my hair really quick.”

“Leave it down. I never get to see it that way. Your hair is lovely.” He tells her. Rey looks down and blushes. She turns around to face him. Her heart rate jumps as she takes in his sweaty form. His shirt is clinging to his chest through sweat soaked fabric.

“Okay.” she tells him simply.

“Dinner will be delivered to our room shortly. I’ll just get cleaned up.”

“Okay. I’ll leave you to it then.” Rey blushes even further at the thought of Ben undressing in the next room over. She passes him quietly and closes the door behind her. She sits down on the couch in the living room when she hears the fresher turn on. She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves.

When there is a knock at the door, Rey lets the staff in to set up dinner. They rearrange the living room furniture to make room for a small dining table. Ben’s medical bed and droid are now gone, leaving more space in the living area. Rey watches as the staff sets up a lovely dinner for two with two candles. Rey thanks them as they exit quietly.

Rey paces the bedroom waiting for Ben to exit the bathroom. Not long after, the door opens, and Ben enters. He looks over the dinner table and his eyes find Rey. Rey’s hair has dried in soft waves by now. She stands nervously waiting for him. Ben is wearing a pair of black pants with a casual long sleeve black shirt. It’s not his uniform, but it’s not quite loungewear. He looks comfortable enough, she decides. His hair is damp from the shower and his feet are bare.

“Join me?” he asks, pulling out a chair for her. She smiles shyly and sits down as he pushes her chair in.

“I haven’t eaten a meal with another person since I’ve been here.” Rey admits when Bens sits down across from her and they begin eating. The food is surprisingly delicious, not that Rey was very picky.

“I’m sorry about that. People here aren’t exactly known for their hospitality.” he looks at her apologetically and she chuckles. “Which is partly my fault. Just one more thing that needs to change around here.”

“About that-” she begins.

“Thank you,” Ben interrupts her. He’s desperate to convince her to stay. He needs to tell her everything before she makes a decision, “for healing me. I know it wasn’t easy. I might not have made it if you hadn’t. I certainly wouldn’t be the same if I had healed on my own. But you...you healed me fully.” He stops eating to look her fully in the eyes.

“You’re welcome.” She tells him while wanting to get back to the point at hand.

“My commanders briefed me on the work you’ve been doing. They’re very impressed with you.”

“The commanders? Impressed?” Rey questions him.

“Well,” Ben cringes with a smirk, “not all of them obviously. But you can certainly handle them. I heard all about you putting Commander Pryde in his place.” Ben grins at Rey with an adorable smile.

“Yes, well that moof-milker was a traitor.” Rey blushes, not used to getting such compliments.

“I’m glad you weren’t hurt, and I’m sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I know you can take care of yourself, but it infuriates me that one of my own would hurt you.” Ben states while his hand clenches on the table.

“It happened. It’s over and I’m fine.” Rey smiles weakly at him.

“But truly, the commanders are impressed with your ability to lead.”

“About that,” Rey stops him right there, “Hux told me you were stepping down and that I was succeeding you. What’s that about? I...I don’t want to be in charge all alone. I don’t want that kind of power.” Rey stutters as she begins to let her fears overtake her.

“That’s exactly why you should lead. Because you don’t want the power. That was my problem. I liked the power. It drew me closer to the darkside.” Ben explains to her.

“But Ben, I would rather you lead beside me. Lead with me as Ben Solo; not as Kylo Ren. I can’t do this without you.” Rey pleads with him. Ben leans across the table and grabs Rey’s hand tightly in his. 

“Rey, thank you for asking me that. It means a lot to me, it really does. But even if I stand beside you as Ben Solo, the galaxy will always see me as Kylo Ren. I’ve done too much bad; made too many mistakes. I’ll renounce myself as Kylo Ren and become Ben Solo. Then I’ll pledge my fidelity to you, Empress Rey. I’ll be beside you always in the shadows, your protector and your advisor.”

“I don’t know Ben,” Rey mulls it over in her head. “I can’t do this alone.”

“You won’t be alone. I’ll be with you the whole time. I’ll help you execute your vision.” Ben gives her hand a squeeze. She stares at his ungloved hand on hers for a long second. The heat from his hand sends shivers down her arm.

“Okay,” Rey says with a sigh, “just know there’s going to be a lot of changes. Do you think you can handle that?”

“Oh I’m counting on it.” Ben smirks at her. 

* * *

They finish their dinner in comfortable silence. Once they finish eating, the servers come back to clear away the dining room table. Once the living room is rearranged, Rey sits down on the plush couch facing the window. She stares out the window into deep space. She can feel Ben’s gaze on the side of her face. He’s deciding what he should do next. Rey can feel his nervousness through the Force.

“Come sit with me?” Rey asks him without taking her eyes off the stars. She feels him shuffle up to her and sit down right beside her. There’s maybe an inch of space between them. She feels the heat emanating off of his large frame. He stares out the window with her, his fists clenching by his sides. Rey chuckles and tells him, “You’re really projecting right now. Relax.”

Ben lets out a deep sigh and his shoulders relax. “Sorry about that. I can’t seem to help it when I’m around you.” Rey can feel his now relaxed arm press gently against her thigh. She feels the strong urge to look at him up close. Bravely, she props her arm over the back of the couch and shifts her body so that she’s facing him. Her knees brush his thigh as she curls up next to him. Her eyes settle on the side of his face. She senses his heartbeat pick up again. He doesn’t dare look at her, his eyes firmly planted on the window. Reaching out with her free hand, her fingertips brush gently against his cheek and count the moles dotting along his face. Ben lets out a little gasp at her contact.

“So beautiful. Like constellations,” she whispers.

“What?” he looks at her now, surprised by her words. He knows it's a mistake immediately. Now that his eyes are on her pretty face, he won’t be able to look away. She smiles at him fondly.

“Your moles,” she inches her body slightly closer while she brushes her thumb across his cheek. “They remind me of constellations. I’ve always been slightly obsessed with them.”

“You have?” Ben asks. He can hardly believe her. It’s him who’s been obsessed. She nods silently as her fingers linger on his cheek.

“Those freckles on your nose and cheeks,” Ben’s hand cups Rey’s cheek and his thumb traces over her light dusting of freckles. “They remind me of sunshine and light. They fit you so perfectly.”

They continue to stare into each other’s eyes tentatively, waiting for someone to make the next move. They could both stay like this all night at this rate. Rey can sense Ben’s nervousness, but she knows he wants this as much as she does. She boldly leans forward assessing his reaction. His eyes widen and his lips quiver, but he doesn’t move away. Rey’s eyes drift closed as her lips touch his. Using her hand on his cheek, she pulls his face closer and tilts his head opposite hers. He moans as she presses deeper into the kiss. Kriff, how his voice drives her wild. She pulls back slightly only to take a breath and dive right back in. This time he meets her with equal enthusiasm. His hand on her cheek slides to the back of her neck. His large but gentle hand makes tingles run down her spine.

“Ben,” she moans as she breathes in his scent and rubs her body against his. His other hand is hovering around her waist undecidedly. Gathering her full skirt in her hands, Rey sits up and swings her leg over Ben’s lap. Ben stares in awe as she straddles his lap. Her skirt is up so that her upper thighs are exposed. Rey grabs his hand and places it on her thigh above her knee. His eyes are frozen on the high split of Rey’s skirt, not far from where his hand rests. She uses his distraction to untie the top of her dress. The silky straps loosen and drift down to her sides. This draws his attention back up her torso.

“Rey,” he gasps as his eyes drift over her form, “You are so beautiful. I don’t deserve you.” His eyes are almost completely black as he takes in her bare form. Rey smiles sweetly and leans forward, letting her breasts press close to him as she whispers in his ear.

“You do. I’ll show you,” she whispers before she sucks his ear lobe into her mouth. He groans again and his other hand snaps to her thigh. His massive hands slide up her skirt caressing her skin. Instinctively, Rey arches her back and rolls her hips. She immediately feels his hardness against her core.

“Kriff, Rey. You’re amazing,” he tells her as his hands squeeze her thighs. Rey sits up to look to see him. He’s leaning back against the couch, his eyes dark and his lips parted. She leans down to slip her tongue into his wet mouth. “Mmmm,” he moans again as she caresses her tongue against his and rocks her hips more firmly against him. His taste is intoxicating as she can’t help but take more and more from him.

Suddenly, Ben sits up straight, bringing his body flush against hers. His hands move to cup her face. He takes control of the kiss and delves his tongue into her mouth. The give and pull of their heated kiss drives Rey hotter. Ben can sense her arousal through the force. He pulls back to look her in the eyes.

“I can feel it. I can feel your need for me. Tell me you need me...that you want me like I want you,” he begs her.

Rey’s heart stutters as she holds him tight. “Oh Ben, yes. I want you and I need you...so much. I’ve never wanted anything as badly as I want you right now.”

Ben jolts off the couch with Rey’s legs wrapped tightly around him. His strong hands hold her firmly against him. He brings them to the bed and drops Rey back onto the bed.

“Your dress,” Ben stutters. He can hardly get the words out, though Rey knows what he means loud and clear. He stands up straight and begins to take his clothes off; his eyes never leaving hers. Rey simply unzips her skirt and lifts her hips to shimmy the skirt down her legs. She’s left wearing only a black lace thong.

Ben’s hands ceased movement the moment she began removing her skirt. All he could do was stare at her while his brain short circuited. Now, he stands shirtless in only his pants. The top button of his pants is unfastened. She can’t help but stare at his hard muscles and the trail of hair that leads down below his waistband. Shifting to her knees, Rey scoots to the edge of the bed. He watches as she slowly unzips his pants. Rey bites her lip nervously and pulls down his pants and boxers together. Ben’s erection springs forward to bump Rey in the chest. She gasps in surprise. There’s no doubt that Ben is large all over as she assesses his size.

“Sorry,” Ben tells her right before Rey takes him in her hands. His words are cut off as he tries to refrain from coming immediately.

“You’re so big, Ben,” Rey murmurs as she slides her hand up and down his velvety length. Rey explores his body. She’s never touched a man like this before, and she finds herself growing even wetter between her legs. Her thumb gathers the moisture at his tip and slides it back down a little more firmly. 

“Ah, Kriff, Rey, that’s amazing,” Ben groans as his head drops back. Unexpectedly, Rey takes the tip of him into her mouth. She hums in delight and sucks gently. Ben yelps and pulls back, “Okay that’s enough.”

“Why? Did you not like it?” Rey asks honestly. “I liked it.”

“Sweet Rey, it was amazing,” He pushes her back tenderly until she’s laying on the bed again. “But I want to make you feel good too.” he tells her with a heated gaze.

“Oh, okay.” Rey drifts off as Ben’s hands slide down to her hips. He grabs her panties and slides them down her legs. His eyes immediately find the patch of hair in between her legs.

“Can I touch you Rey?” he asks her earnestly.

“Of course Ben,” Rey stutters.

“Rey, I want you to know there’s no going back from here...not for me. I’ve never given myself to another like this before. You’re it for me.”

Rey opens her eyes to smile at him. “Me too Ben. You’ll be my first and my last.” Rey feels the force bond flare to life, and she is suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Ben parts her legs and sits in between them. His breathing is shuddered as he takes in the sight of her. He reaches forward and his fingers part her folds. Rey whimpers at the contact. Rey knows that Ben can sense what she is feeling, so he continues. He rubs two fingers down her slick center finding where she likes it. Over and over, he caresses her skin with his now slick fingers. The pleasure builds steadily until Rey can barely stand it.

“You’re so wet for me Rey. So _kriffing_ wet. Oh force, I want you so bad.” Ben tells her without filtering his words.

“Oh please, please, please, Ben. I want you too.” Rey moans as she rocks her hips against his wandering hand.

“I have to make sure you’re ready first,” Ben says with a shaky breath right before he slides one finger inside Rey’s center. “Oh my god, you’re so tight. So hot.” Having never done this before, Ben is just as amazed as Rey.

Rey arches her back and rocks against his finger. His finger slides in and out slowly, testing what feels good for her. Then, he adds a second finger. “Oh Kriff, Ben, that feels good!” Rey babbles as Ben watches, mesmerized as his fingers slide in and out of her little tight hole. Ben is just as caught up in the pleasure through their force connection. His thumb slides up and rubs circles over her little nub. “Ah, yes, Ben. Right there. Don’t stop!” Suddenly, Rey is rutting against Ben’s hand like a wild animal. Ben almost loses it as he watches Rey reach her peak. Then finally, Rey explodes, her core clamping down on Ben’s fingers. She moans and gasps as the orgasm rolls on. Ben curls his fingers inside her, prolonging her pleasure.

Then, Rey is pushing Ben’s hand away swiftly. “Now, Ben. I need you inside me.” She grabs his shoulders and pulls him on top of her. He uses his hands to catch himself on either side of her. She immediately wraps her legs around his hips.

“Are you sure?” Ben asks one final time. He wants her to be sure before he loses control. She stills as she looks at him and regains her composure.

“Yes, Ben. I’m sure.” She tells him with resolve.

Ben positions himself at her entrance. He watches her face as he pushes in faster than intending. Her face goes slack with pleasure as he pushes completely inside her. Ben groans loudly and takes a deep breath to steady himself.

“Kriff, Rey you feel so good. I’m sorry, I’m not going to last.” Ben pants against her ear as he holds her close. Rey squeezes her legs around him, bringing him in tighter.

“Ben, I can feel what you feel. Remember?” she smiles dazedly at him. “So don’t hold back. I want to feel you inside me.”

That’s all it takes for Ben to lose control. He pulls back and slams back into her, drawing a yelp from Rey, quickly followed by a moan of pleasure. Ben doesn’t stop. His rapid thrusts into her tight, wet center bring them both closer to the edge.

“Kriff Rey, you feel amazing!” Ben pants before leaning forward and taking her nipple into his mouth. Rey whimpers as she runs her fingers through his hair, pulling him tighter.

“Force, Ben. You’re so big. It feels so good! Don’t stop. Don’t stop.” Rey pants to him over and over.

“I won’t stop. I won’t ever stop.” Ben tells her and switches to her other nipple. He reaches a hand down between them and rubs circles over her clit. “Come on Rey, are you gonna come for me? Is my Empress gonna come for me?”

Rey chokes on her screams as her core clenches around him. Her vision goes blurry as her orgasm overtakes her. She clings to Ben desperately as she rides him through her pleasure.

“Oh kriff, I feel you coming...so tight,” Ben picks up speed and slams into her even harder. His thrusts prolong Rey’s pleasure as she meets him thrust for thrust. “Oh, Rey, I’m gonna-” Ben stutters as he groans loudly and slams into her one final time. He pulls her in tight, shuddering as his orgasm rolls through him. Rey feels so full of him right now. She’s never felt so content in all of her life.

Ben finally relaxes against Rey. He’s panting heavily in her ear as he comes down from his orgasm. “I love you. I love you Rey.” Ben pants in her ear over and over. She can only hold him tighter as she catches her breath.

Eventually, he props himself up on his elbows to look at her. His eyes are glassy and wet as he stares at her. Reaching up, she brushes away a single tear that escapes his eye. “Ben,” she whispers to him, trying not to break the spell. “I love you too. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful gift.” She cups his face. He leans into her hand as she caresses him.

“Anything for you, my Empress.” he smirks at her.

The End.


End file.
